The Calligrapher (Fall 2003)

Jasper is no more a cad than the average single 29-year-old male -- just far more honest and far more hilarious than most (think Hugh Grant minus the stutter plus some hair on his chest). A calligrapher by trade, Jasper is in the midst of a transcription of John Donne's love poems when he meets Madeleine, the inevitable woman of all love stories, the one who will either save him from himself...or destroy him. While the ending isn't as strong as the rest of the novel (Docx suddenly decides to wrap up with a bang, bang! that isn't necessary), the rest is pure delight.